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Soviet court convicts U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers

A Moscow court found U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers guilty of espionage for his May 1 overflight of the USSR and sentenced him to prison, deepening the diplomatic crisis begun by the incident.

Soviet court convicts U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers

The conviction intensified U.S.–Soviet tensions stemming from the U-2 affair, further undermined prospects for Cold War summitry, and posed a political problem for Eisenhower’s administration during the 1960 campaign.

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